‘Hot air’ warning as increase in number of Cambridgeshire county councillors rejected

Calls to increase the number of councillors representing Cambridgeshire have been rejected – amid claims there was already enough “hot air” at Shire Hall.

A Liberal Democrat proposal to increase the number of members on the county council from 69 to 71 was rejected by the authority today, with a cross-party proposal to reduce the total to 63 winning backing instead.

This plan will be submitted to the Boundary Commission, which will have the final say.

Several councillors said they would like to see the membership slashed even more deeply.

Conservative Cllr James Palmer, who represents Soham and Fordham, said: “Sixty-nine is 25 too many, I would like to see 50 to 55.

“There is no need for all the hot air that goes on in this room, and how many of us are indispensable to the electorate? Not many, I would imagine.”

Other councillors argued voters were not prepared to pay allowances for two more councillors.

Tory Cllr Bill Hunt, who represents Haddenham, added: “In my ward I couldn’t look them in the eye if I said I had voted for extra councillors.”

Cllr Maurice Leeke, the Liberal Democrat leader, said accepting a cut in the number of councillors would increase members’ workload by a fifth and amount to an admission the current set was “lazy”.

He argued having an extra member in the south and east of the county would cope with a growing population.

Cllr Leeke said: “This offers the least change, the best service for electors, and an adequate way forward for the council to carry out all its functions.”

Castle’s Cllr John Hipkin, an independent, also raised concerns about whether councillors would be able to serve residents as effectively.

He said: “Of course there are councillors who simply sit on their backsides and do as their party tells them, but amongst us there are many who are extremely conscientious.”

The Liberal Democrat proposals were rejected by 44 to 13, with the cross-party option getting support on a similar margin.